Happy Friday Everyone! I hope your day is simply FIRE!

Cool Ways to Light Your Halloween Party Walkway

Halloween Lighting Your Walkway Ideas

I'm always looking for easy inexpensive ideas to greet my Halloween Party Guest that are unique and innovative. Lighting your walk way is a must! The exterior of our home is an introduction to what our interiors offers, so it's almost like the "little nibble to the neck" so lets get busy.

 

Caning Jars are so easy find and throw a ton of light!

 

 

Another fun way to light the walk way is with Glow Sticks! I have used them in mason jars or even in white or brown paper bags that I have hole punched.

Sterno Cans are another way to light a walk way or outdoor patio. Please do exercise caution we using real fire. I fill a small black cereal bowl with sand and place a small can Sterno in the center of the sand burying the can about 3/4 of the way down. I always use the small one hour Sterno's to be super safe. 

 

Another cool way to light your walk way is to take a glow stick and insert it within a balloon, take to your local grocer florist and have them fill with helium and tie a 5 foot ribbon and weight to each balloon. Line your walk way and your ready to go. About two hours before my guest are due to arrive I have them filled. Each balloon glows for about 4 to 6 hours.

 

Another fun idea is Glow in the Dark Foot Prints! Super easy using glow in the dark paint. Using your foot as a template on poster board. Fill a paint tray with craft store bought glow in the dark paint, step into paint and makes lots of foot prints on white poster board. Cut out and using heavy duct duck tape (for strength and durability) tape down to walk way but cutting a piece of tape and folding it over to create double sided tape. This should be done early in the day so that when night falls the foot prints glow bright and strong. 

 

Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans

Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans

Aside from being an October baby all those years ago, Halloween has always held an endearing place in my heart. As a child growing up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, haunted houses and ghost stories and even witch craft were common street topics. Although, my mother was a devote Catholic and loved Lord with all her heart, was defiantly in touch with her dark side, and thus introduced my little sister, Linda and I to the “other side of the mirror”.

Even then the only months that got my attention was June, because school was ending for summer break and October, because Halloween and all its magic would soon arrive. I have vivid memories of “trick or treating” through the haunted alleys of the French Quarter at dusk as the fog rolled in off the Mississippi River.  The air was cool and crisp and the sound of our giggling voices echoing in those long narrow brick alleys really added to the eeriness of the night. I would say Halloween in New Orleans was the perfect recipe for the imagination of this curious six year old girl.

The purpose of this blog for me is to highlight Halloween in all its glory, from the entertainment/celebrating aspect to the hauntingly magically side of this beloved holiday. Hopefully, together we can delve into fond childhood memories, ideas and traditions we have come to know, love and share with family and friends. I’d love to hear your story/memory.

Another childhood memory for me is mother going to great lengths to locate  and eventually purchase a copy of a book that even back then was most difficult to find. Before momma located one for sale in a Royal Street book store,  I remember going to the New Orleans public library with her so that she could copy pages from the book. The book titled, Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans was listed as rare and could no longer be checked out but coping was permitted. Momma would copy the stories about a particular address then we were off to find the house.  What was most interesting to me were all the facts surrounding the ghosts stories were told including the address and names of those who experienced the hauntings.

Mom passed away July 24, 1988 when I was quite young and of the small amount of worldly possessions she owned this book was all I wanted.

Ghosts Stories of Old New Orleans – Jeanne deLavigne 1944 (RARE)

Ghosts are said to wander along the rooftops above New Orleans’ Royal Street, the dead allegedly sing sacred songs in St. Louis Cathedral, and the graveyard tomb of a wealthy madam reportedly glows bright red at night. Local lore about such supernatural sightings, as curated by Jeanne deLavigne in her classic Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans, finds the phantoms of bitter lovers, vengeful slaves, and menacing gypsies haunting nearly every corner of the city, from the streets of the French Quarter to Garden District mansions. Originally printed in 1944, all forty ghost stories and the macabre etchings of New Orleans artist Charles Richards appear in this new edition. 

Drawing largely on popular legend dating back to the 1800s, deLavigne provides vivid details of old New Orleans with a cast of spirits that represent the ethnic mélange of the city set amid period homes, historic neighborhoods, and forgotten taverns. Combining folklore, newspaper accounts, and deLavigne’s own voice, these phantasmal tales range from the tragic—brothers, lost at sea as children, haunt a chapel on Thomas Street in search of their mother—to graphic depictions of torture, mutilation, and death. 

 

 

 

Halloween Spooktails Anyone??

 

                             Hauntingly Decadent White Chocolate Martini

3 Ounces half and half

2 Ounces White Chocolate Liqueur

2 Ounces Vanilla Flavored Vodka

Garnish: Shaved White Chocolate

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add half and half, white chocolate liqueur and vanilla vodka. Shake mixture vigorously then strain into a martini glass and garnish with white chocolate.

Jack-O-Lantern

1 teaspoon lime juice

Green Sanding Sugar (party supply place)

4 Ounces fresh orange juice

2 Ounces carbonated orange soda

1 1/2 Ounces orange liqueur

1 1/4 Ounces spiced rum

Garnish: Orange slice, green slivered almond

Rim glass with lime juice. Place rim in sanding sugar and rotate to coat completely

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add orange juice, soda, liqueur and rum. Shake vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds, strain into glass. Place a green slivered almond in the middle of the orange slice and float on drink if desired.  (makes one drink but you can make a pitcher full by using simple math)

 

 

Candy Corn Shooter

 

1/2 Once banana liqueur

1/2 ounce coconut=flavored rum

1/2 Ounce orange curacao

2 drops of grenadine

3/4 Ounce half and half

 

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add banana liqueur, sake vigorously. Strain into a shot glass. Fill shaker halfway with ice, add rum, curacao and grenadine. Slowly pour rum mixture over the back of a spoon so that it runs down the side of the glass and floats on the top of the banana liqueur. Slowly pour half and half over the back of a spoon so that it runs down the side of the glass and floats on top of the rum mixture.  When serve these I have 3 pitchers with each layer and just pour away! Always delicious and a great conversation drink! Enjoy

 

 

 

Why are we so intrigued with all things scary?

My thoughts on the subject:

I often wonder why do we love scary stories? Why do we enjoy that creeping sensation or jolt of terror when we read a ghost story or see a horror flick? I think part of the answer has to do with biology. When we are frightened, our bodies fight or flight system kicks in and our amygdala orders up a burst of adrenaline and other hormones like dopamine that go shooting through our system. Fear is a stimulant, and in a setting where we know that we are ultimately going to be okay, it can be an enjoyable feeling.

There is actually an evolutionary component to our intrigue with things that frighten us. Horror films and books offer a safe way for our brains to adapt and respond to scary situations. It works on the same principle that play theory does. Playing strategic games strengthens connections in the brain that help us with critical thinking. In a similar way, scary movies and stories can stimulate connections that are linked to our ability to survive. Some of these connections were created by our DNA and evolved through the development of our species, and others are learned through many types of experience.

There could also be a psychological reason why we like to be frightened. Maybe there is a feeling of power gained when we face our fears and seemingly conquer them. Regardless of the reason, tales designed to frighten us have been around for centuries. Have you ever listened to ghost stories around a campfire, or sat around sharing ghosts stories at a sleep over when you were a kid? Apparently, that tradition has been passed down for centuries as well. Some were told for practical reasons, like keeping children close to home, especially at night. This always worked for me.

But the scary stories always had huge entertainment value. Just take a look any given week’s box office numbers when a horror film is playing. You can bet in the top 3 movies playing one will be a horror film. I won’t be running out to see any of these because I find the films today are must to gruesome for my personal flavor, but I do like an old fashioned gothic novel, ghost story or movie. So tonight I will probably freak myself out as I sit on the couch reading or watching something spooky as the wind rattles my windows and the rain beats against the doors and windows of my home.  I will probably end up sleeping with my covers over my head…lol  Yep, I sure do love be frightened…lol

 

Frightfully Fun Party Adult Games

During the course of the evening I like to throw little twist and turns to keep the party fun and unexpected by getting everyone together to engage in a few games and some fun little prize wins.  

Game Party Prize Ideas Include

1)     I love visiting Bath and Body works and picking up bath gel & lotion when they offer it 3 for $10.00 – this is always a winning surprise!  I wrap a lotion or bath gel in black or orange tulle, tie with Halloween ribbon you’re all set!  For $20.00 I have 6 winning gift that always brings smiles.

2)     A set of four Halloween Coffee Mugs from Target, Walmart or even the Dollar Store is always a useful idea!

3)     I also love shopping the bargain book section of my bookstore and picking up a couple of books of Ghosts Stories. Most times these books can be picked up for $4.00 or $5.00 dollars.

4)     Another fun and really inexpensive gift is Halloween Pins. These can be picked up from any dollar store.

5)     Homemade baked Halloween cookies are another great idea! Another delicious homemade prize idea is homemade Pumpkin Bread or Carrot Cake made in mini loaves.

When selecting your game gift think useful or tummy memorable! People love things that can be used year after year and not just another dust collector and sweets are always a “take the cake winner”!

 

           Bath and Body Works Spider Cider!

 

Game Ideas!

 

1)     Halloween Trivia is my favorite! – Using famous Scary Movies create 15 Trivia question cards. Gather your guest and ask them to group in groups of 3 or 4 having each group collaborate on the questions you ask. Each group has 60 seconds to write down their answer. When all questions have been answered I read the answers and the group with the most correct answers wins. Each participant in that group wins a gift! Fun, Easy and Entertaining!

2)     Another fun game is again grouping into groups of 2, 3 or 4 ( my husband and I are the judges) – Pass out paper and pencils and give your guest 10 mins to come up with a Halloween Poem. I like to choose a word, example: the word Ghost must be used in the poem 4 times. The poem that’s most creative, unique and rhymes wins.

3)     A Costume Contest is a must!  With a twist on your invite pick a theme or movie and ask your guest to create a costume that they most identify to that particular theme or movie.

When choosing games just remember keep them fun, unique and creative!  If you have a favorite game or game idea, please do share it with me. I’d love to post your idea on my blog!

 

Witch's Flight on Halloween Night

Witch's Flight on Halloween Night

 

 

 

 

Halloween comes but once a year

 and it's on this night we anticipate great fear.

Little Trick or Treater's scurry about

crossing lawns and trick or treating from house to house.

There's an eerie feeling in the air tonight

 that's only felt on Halloween night.

All eyes are focused on the night sky

just waiting and watching for the witches to fly.

So before we know it the witching hour drawers near

and the voice on the wind whispers the witch are here.

In a flash of an eye they appear in the night sky

on their way to the Grand Hall for their annual witches ball.

This haunting site happens once a year

and it's on Halloween night they're sure to appear.

So no need to be frightened of the Witches in site 

because it's all part of the Witches annual flight.

 

written by:     Marilyn O. Baudier

 

 

 

Tantalizing Treats, Hors d'oeuvres and Drink Recipes

Tantalizing Treats, Hors d'oeuvres and Drink Recipes

My Ever Famous Witches Tit Gumbo  

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 8 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups chicken broth, canned or from base
• 2 large cans (28 ounces each) tomatoes, diced
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen okra, sliced, thawed
• 1 pound crab claws
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 large dried bay leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh minced parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried leaf basil
• 2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds shrimp, medium, unpeeled
• 1 quart oysters, undrained
• 1 pound crab meat
• 1 pound Andouille sausage diced
• hot cooked rice
• file powder, optional

Preparation:

Combine oil and flour in a heavy skillet; cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until roux is dark. Be very careful to keep the roux from scorching. Stir in onion, celery, and garlic; cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Transfer mixture to a Dutch oven or large kettle. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, okra, crab claws, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, and pepper; simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Peel and devein shrimp. Add shrimp, oysters, crab meat, and fish to the pot; simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve gumbo over hot cooked rice and, if desired, sprinkle with file.

 

 

U R 2 Choke on These Balls

 

Servings: 50 balls

Ingredients

For the Spinach Artichoke Balls

1 1-pound package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and chopped finely

1/2 pound frozen artichokes, thawed and chopped finely

5 eggs

1 large onion, minced

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne powder

2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs

For the dill sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup dill, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

Directions: 

1. Combine all sauce ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Squeeze excess water from spinach and put in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well by hand. Form mixture into 1 ½” balls either by hand or with a small ice cream scoop. Roll them between the palms of your hand to get a uniform smooth finish. 
5. Place balls on a parchment lined sheet pan and cook until firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes.
6. Serve warm with dipping sauce. 

  

Prep Time: 

20 minutes

Cooking Time: 

35 minutes

 

Bat Brain & Feta Cheese Spread

 

 

1/2 cup slivered pine nuts, toasted (I substituted slivered almonds)
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1/2  garlic head, roasted
8 ounces feta cheese
1/2 stick unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp white pepper, ground
2 Tbs vermouth
1/2 cup arugula pesto (or regular basil pesto, preferably homemade)

Prepare the ingredients for all layers:  toast the nuts in a dry skillet or in the oven, being careful not to burn them.  Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, drain of most of their oil, and mix them with 1/2  of the roasted garlic.  Mix the feta cheese at room temperature with the butter, cream cheese, pepper, vermouth, and the remaining roasted garlic.  Add to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and fluffy.  Adjust seasoning if necessary. If using commercial pesto, drain it to reduce the amount of oil.  If using homemade, make it with less oil than the recipe calls for.

Line the mold of your choice with plastic wrap, leaving 6 inches overhang on all sides.
First layer:   toasted nuts.
Second layer: Sun-dried tomato mixture.
Third layer: Half the cheese mixture. Spread it gently over the tomatoes.
Fourth layer:  Pesto sauce.
Fifth and final layer: Remaining cheese mixture.   Spoon gently, and smooth the surface well.

Cover it with the plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.  Unwrap it, invert the torte on a serving dish.  Serve with crackers of your choice.

ENJOY!

 

Aged Crab Poop Pie

 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
• One 9-inch pie shell, par-baked and pricked with a fork
• 1 pound fresh white crabmeat, drained
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground mace
• 3 eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bottom of the pie crust. Top with the crab meat and sprinkle with the scallions. Whisk together the heavy cream, lemon zest, mustard, seafood seasoning, salt, mace and eggs in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.

 

Bake until the custard sets, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

 

 

120 Day Old Crusty the Crustacean Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds (12 to 15 count) shrimp
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (2 oranges)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon good white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons small-diced red onion

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread the shrimp on one layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until pink, firm and cooked through. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the shrimp are cool, add them to the sauce and toss. Add the dill, capers, and red onion and toss well. The flavors will improve if you allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Otherwise, chill and serve at room temperature.

 

 Fermented & Rotten Shrimp Mold

 

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

•                     
  1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
•                         
  2 (.25 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
•                         
  1/2 cup cold water
•                         
  6 ounces cream cheese, softened

•                         
  1 cup mayonnaise
•                         
  1 pound cooked shrimp
•                         
  1 cup minced celery
•                         
  1/2 cup green onions, minced                                           

 

 

Directions

 

1. Heat soup in a small saucepan or in a microwave oven.
2. In a medium bowl, stir gelatin into cold water. Mix hot tomato soup into the gelatin liquid.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and mayonnaise together. Mix soup mixture into the mayonnaise and cream cheese mixture. Mix well. Add shrimp, celery, and green onions.

Spoon the mixture into a 1 quart mold and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Unmold onto a serving plate before serving.

Notables

Just remember to have fun!~ And try taking ordinary appetizers and giving them devilish names to take them from ordinary to extraordinary! 

 I love to visit the dollar store and pick up some basic black small frames to house the gross and gruesome names of the dishes my guest will be puking over.  Sit the little framed dish tags in front of each dish and watch and listen as your guest giggle themselves around the table!

More Great Recipes to Come! Enjoy!!